The Joke is on You
by DarkYarns
Summary: Should be a short work in progress. B/A ship, M for later, something totally different.
1. Chapter 1

As Detective Goren entered the interrogation room, the man sat up, exceptionally straight and began to clap despite his front-cuffed wrists. The applause was slow but reverent. Goren knew enough to know when he was being mocked. He made a mental note of this, most people, when they find themselves in a police interrogation room, facing multiple murder charges, are too focused on mentally going over the details of their crime, carefully choosing their words and demeanor to appear innocent, and calculating to make...well....jokes. Goren had been warned this criminal was more than dangerous, and the point was further illustrated to him by the extra restraints holding the man's ankles to the chair.

Goren took his seat at the silver table across from the man.

"So nice of you to join me, what is it?... Detective Goren. Yes, yes, very nice of you to come." The man shifted in his seat, flashing Goren a half-smile. Goren watched him from the other side of the table making a mental assessment. Then, almost out of nowhere, he lurched in his chair, suddenly and as much as the restraints would allow, attempting to startle the detective. Goren didn't flinch. Looking at the man now, as his face was closer. It was smeared with white make-up, caked thick and creased along his forehead. His eyes were circled thick with black, that ran down his painted white cheeks in small gray trails, similar to tears. But it was his mouth, clearly deformed, scar tissue built along the sides of his lips and swiped with blood red. The man revealed his teeth, for a wide smile.

"I like that, Bobby. I can call you Bobby can't I?" The man twitched in his seat, his green stringy hair hanging down over his face, "You're a man who is not easily flustered. Panic is the quickest way to failure, that's what I always say." He flipped his wrist and seemingly like magic a card appeared in his hand. He slid it across the table. "You should work with me....I could use your uh-_vision_." The man giggled wildly, as if he knew something Goren didn't.

Bobby reached for the playing card on the table and then turned it over. It was a jovial joker turned upside down.

Goren decided to speak, "You know, they say you are a very dangerous well...what are you exactly...I-I definitely wouldn't call you... a man...that would suggest you were....human. Or felt things the way a human would. You know, most of them just say you're a freak." Goren emphasized the word freak, taking this semi-insulting approach to start the interrogation, hoping to trigger some emotional response in this man to override his logic and get some answers. Joker bit back quickly.

"And you're the whack job...." Goren said nothing, Joker continued, "So I guess, were two of a kind." With another flick of his wrist, he materialized, two Ace of spades cards and placed them on the table face up.

"What do you have, multiple decks in your little purple suit there?...or are you all out of card tricks.?" Goren asked sarcastically, his neck twitching. Joker sneered and then flooded the room with cards, a seemingly endless supply, shooting from his palms. He laughed in the flurry, and then the cards stopped and his laughter trailed off. Bobby's intentional silence and lack of amusement made the room uncomfortable. Silence hung in the air. Both Joker and Goren shifted awkwardly.

Picking up on Goren's seriousness, Joker pretended his own brand of seriousness, taking on a false business persona.

"So like I said...you have my card.." He glanced around the room at the playing cards littering the floor, then he decided to level with the detective "you know- you don't need to be doing this...working for these _clowns_ in their suits. They don't respect your.....genius. I could make many good uses of your talents, and nobody knows better ways around the cops than cops. That's why I requested they send me to you. I said- I told them -I'm not speaking until you bring me Robert Goren." Joker laughed again, high-pitched and slightly maniacal.

"_You_ may be the whack job, they say you spent all last night in here, screaming for "Batman."...."

"Ah, the bat, yes- I'll get him soon enough, but right now, I'm uh- how you say- tied up." Joker raised his cuffed wrists for Bobby to see. Goren cut in.

"There is no "bat" or "batman". You know, they say you are a criminal genius....but you know what I think." Goren motioned his large hands, "I think you're just another delusional, off-balance, narcissist, who needs to be locked up."

"So society won't have to deal with me... and be confronted with all the ugliness that already exists inside them."

"Something like that. " Bobby responded coldly.

"Something like your mother." Joker added, slowly bursting into a fit of giggles as Bobby's anger began to show, "You wanted to kill the crazy bitch, I bet you did. I _know _you did." Suddenly, Joker turned serious, "You're like me, Bobby," his voice low, "I never told anyone this...but my mom was, well, ..different too...she's the reason I have my scars. "

The Joker's eyes suddenly darkened to the point it was frightening, his voice now barely audible and breaking from its usual comical tone into something more serious, "Shhhhhhhhhhh. Only you know the real reason." He said, before lifting his finger to his lips and then bursting into another fit of laughter.

Eames quietly entered the room.

"Someone wanna let me in on the joke." she deadpanned, looking around at the cards covering the floor and startling them both.

Joker eyed her up and down seductively then his eyes flashed to Goren. "Oh, is this your partner?"

He didn't answer.

"Tight package, eh?" Joker smiled and lowered his head.

Goren wanted to punch him for bringing Eames into this, in such a way, but didn't, because he couldn't give Joker any insight into his feelings and because they said he was infamous for inciting people do to things they normally wouldn't. Goren clenched his fists under the table.

Eames rolled her eyes, realizing this was an interrogation she couldn't participate in. "Bobby, come get me when you're done with this creep."

Goren never took his attention off Joker. Who followed Eames out of the room with his eyes and then turned back to Goren.

"Oh- oh- ohhhhhhhhh. The things I would do to her." He let his dead purple eyes fall on Goren, who was now tight with rage. "I bet she feels so ----"

That was it, Goren launched across the table and had Joker slammed against the mirror, still attached to the chair. His head rung with pain, he tasted blood in his own mouth. He laughed, baring his bloddy teeth and spit with a choke, hit by Goren's force again. "She really gets you going, doesn't she, that....Alexandra Eames." Joker sneered.

Goren released him, breathing hard. Then cocked his head, looking hard at Joker and then began to laugh hard, releasing him and letting the chair fall to the ground. Goren demonstrated he could change moods as quickly as the Joker, a move he hoped would make the criminal feel the need to stay engaged. He dusted Joker's shoulders off lightly and pushed him back to the table. Goren took his seat as well, wagging his finger playfully, "You're a funny guy." He said through light broken laughter.

Joker chuckled too, "It's just the way she said it...you know..how she said it..." then he suddenly stopped laughing and licked his lips hard, eyes searing the detective, " come get me when you're done with this creep." Joker's voice was sinister, "come....get...me...._come_....." They were silent.

Bobby's anger from within filled the room like steam, Joker added quietly hoping to push him to a boiling point, "I bet just her voice saying certain words gets you going....and then you replay those words....in your head at night....with those nasty thoughts....using her like a whore...." He licked his lips hard.

"No." Bobby interjected, his voice cracking.

"She loves it....you and I both know-girls like her....girl's who live their whole lives trying to please their Daddies." Joker twitched and laughed again, 'Want to be that girl's Daddy, Bobby?"

Goren lowered his head, "No."

Joker sat back in his chair, annoyed, and suddenly changing both mood and tone, "Well, look, when you're ready to give up this charade...and stop being a puppet" He brought his face as close to Bobby's as the cuffs would allow, painted white and intense "then let me know...but to be honest, I'm underwhelmed....I thought Detective Goren would have me confessing all my sins and crying for my mommy by now."

Bobby let his hand meet his lips.

"The same mommy who cut up your face?" he smiled.

Joker giggled, reveling in Goren's quick, slightly dry humor.

"The very same." Joker said smiling, feigning surprise and appearing amused.

"No seriously," Bobby leaned forward, using his own intense stare, "really...how did you get your scars?"

Joker suddenly seemed uncomfortable, but it faded, replaced by another more serene smile, enhanced by the red war paint across his lips.

"I told you Bobby, my mother....you know how it can be. One minute they love you, the next you don't exist, the next....you're the brunt of all that anger...and pain. She said my frown was making her sad...that the whole world should smile all day long...you see- she was on an upswing...and well, my face...it was just too much for her to bear.....so she went in the kitchen...pulled out a butcher knife, and slit me from cheek to cheek. Then she looked at me...oh, she looked so happy, as the blood ran down my face, and she said...'now you can smile forever.' "

Neither of the men said anything after than. Then Joker's haunting laughter began again.

"So you see, this is why I light up the room, wherever I go....she knew I was special."

"You don't blame her for deforming you?" Bobby asked.

"Oh, well- no - deformed - what? Look, people see me and they think they know what to expect, but they don't. Much like you, Bobby, it takes a keen eye to see what's inside...Deep inside guys like me and you. Jokes are not jokes. Rules are not rules. Lives aren't worth so much once, they are gone....you see that everyday. Nothing is what is seems. Nobody is who they say they are...everyone is wearing a mask...its all a big circus." Joker's voice raise to a strikingly high-pitch, "I just like to turn everything upside down...expose all these idiots to reality..."

"And what's the reality?" Bobby asked half- intrigued.

"Nothing matters, people cling to their rules, their beliefs, their loved ones, as if its going to save them when the shit hits the fan. But Bobby, you and I both know..." Joker wagged his own finger now playfully, "nothing is further from the truth....when things explode...even the people you love the most turn on you."

"That's why I don't love anyone." Bobby spit out almost subconsciously.

The Joker hit him back quickly, humor in his voice, wet-looking green hair hanging over his eye, "No, Bobby, that's why no one loves you."

Then he added, "I'm not saying another word, until I can speak to Alexandra Eames....alone."


	2. Chapter 2

Goren and Eames watched from behind the one-sided glass. Goren folded his arms, high on his chest.

"What do you want to do, Eames?"

"I know guys like him...they get off on hurting people...they'll do anything for attention, even if it doesn't make sense." Eames frowned.

"He likes to think he's an anarchist. But he's delusional. He thinks hurting people helps them, his sickness is self-justifying, then he turns all his diagnosis around...they say he makes jokes to avoid pain or serious situations....so he becomes "Joker." The man is an extremist and a sociopath. He likes getting under people's skin." Bobby shifted his weight towards Alex, sensing her hesitation. 'If you don't want to...."

"No, I can. I'll be fine." She was senior partner after all. They both exited and went into the interrogation room. Eames let her eyes, fall on the man's painted white face and false red smile as she entered the room. His posture was off but commanding.

"Hey doll, nice of you to join us. Me and Bobby here, were just talking about you. I'd be a gentleman and pull out your chair, but uh- I'm in a bit of a tight spot." His eyes and behavior motioned to being cuffed to the chair. Smiling wide behind his painted face.

Eames said nothing as her and Goren, took seats across the table. She let her eyes burn him. She resolved when she entered the room, to remain un-intimidated. She knew the Joker liked to create fear, she wasn't going to give him the pleasure. Goren's approach was to respond differently to all of the Jokers different emotions and personalities as they came up, befriending him by presenting a complementary personality at all times, while still presenting him with enough of a challenge to remain interested, increasing the chances of the detectives acquiring more information about his past and crimes.

Eames pushed her nerves aside as she let her gaze settle on the man, she felt a bit more at ease with Goren beside her. Eames knew Bobby would kill this man, before he would let something happen to her. Joker pounced on her silence. Speaking loudly to catch her attention and then letting his voice drift off before she could make out his words.

"Mmmm. You're so closed." He licked his lips, "so.." he motioned his fists together and then continued mumbling to himself. Bobby watched the man slip into his own thoughts, he almost seemed unaware of his surroundings, he cut in softly, as if intruding.

"Hey....hey you wanted to talk to her...she's here."

Joker's head snapped freakishly, then held still, his eyes focused immediately on Eames. His voice was deep and different now than before.

"I said alone."

Joker's eyes shot to Goren, suddenly round and wide. "Scoot." he broke into a forced tense smile, "...go back there with your cop buddies and watch behind the glass, whack-job." He motioned with his cuffed hands to the mirror. Goren knew the insults were all a part of his game, he didn't want to take it personally, but he had to admit, Joker was gifted for getting under people's skin....Bobby hated to be belittled. Goren swallowed his frustration and pride and walked towards the door, thinking for a moment, maybe he shouldn't leave Eames alone. He turned to look at her and she gave him a reassuring nod, a nod that usually wouldn't be perceptible to anyone but them. They had worked together so long, they knew each other's body language by heart. He headed out the door.

"Enjoy the freak show." he heard Joker call over his shoulder.

Eames and Joker sat face to face. Neither speaking. She looked him up and down, taking in the sight of his oily dark, green hair, eyes glaring behind the rings of black, the skin around his twisted mouth. He caught on to her gaze and then smiled and licked his lips, raising an eyebrow. She expected him to say something suggestive, it seemed like it was right on the tip of his tongue.

"Don't detectives usually ask questions?"

"What did one picture say to the other picture?" Eames asked, her voice soft but without hesitation, her eyes refusing to leave his until he looked down. She wouldn't be the one to look away first.

"I dunno, doll, why don't you tell me." Joker's voice was disconnected from his intense stare down with Eames.

In a small voice she said, "I heard you got framed."

Joker let his eyes look away from hers, she won that battle, as he burst into a fit of giggles. However, unlike with Goren, his laugh didn't seem faked or intimidating, he was genuinely laughing, she read it in the creases of his eyes.

"You surprised me, doll, and here I thought you were all business...no fun." Joker pretended to wipe his hands clean, watching the smile dissipate slowly from Eames face. He craned his neck looking around the room.

Goren watched from the other side of the glass...nearly amazed at how quickly Eames was establishing a relationship with Joker. Then he remembered he didn't have her feminine gifts to keep the criminals attention. Still, Eames was working with him well, not showing fear, not letting him dictate, she seemed...in charge. Bobby folded and unfolded his arms, not sure what to do with his nervous energy.

"Hey, love, would you ever date a clown?"

Eames met his eyes again, her dark golden hair sweeping across her face. "My girlfriend dated a clown, it didn't work out."

Joker made an exaggerated pouty face, "Why not?"

"Well, long story short. He said she wouldn't swallow. She said he tasted funny."

A pause and then Joker caught the pun, laughing now because she managed to be corny, unexpected, and dirty all in one joke. He laughed now harder and harder, the sound passing into something more of a cackle, it was drawing Eames in. She realized he was no longer laughing at her joke, but something else.

Goren watched tense on the other side of the glass, seeing Joker fiddling with his feet under the table, then like lightening, he was up and across the room, slamming his chair underneath the knob, before Bobby could reach. Eames reached for her gun in the excitement, but it wasn't there. She didn't think she had ever seen one man move so fast, realizing now, his used his laughter as a distraction. Eames knew she was in trouble when she heard the gun click against her cheek and felt his breath against her face, his wrists were still cuffed, she still couldn't figure how he did it.

"Looking for this, doll.?" Joker pressed the gun harder into her cheek and licked the scarred skin around his mouth. He cocked his head, "You know, I don't really like guns...well- I lied, I like guns...but not with my lady friends." He trailed the gun along Eames cleavage, "And you are definitely one hell of a lady...."

Goren felt like he was going to vomit. He used all the force in his body to try and burst through the door. He realized he was in a panic but felt helpless to stop it. He lurched all his body weight towards the door, causing thumping noises that were beginning to drown out Joker's talk with Eames.

Joker rolled his eyes, and lessened the pressure of the tip of the gun on Eames body.

"Jesus, doesn't he know, he can't get in here like that...it's-it's physics, the chair, the knob, the door, the whole thing..." Joker rolled his eyes again and snorted, "And I thought that guy was supposed to be smart."

Eames took the brief lapse in his attention to try an escape, but as soon as she willed her body to move, leap for the chair to knock it away, he was upon her, his body pressing hard into hers, he smelled like nothing she had ever encountered, blood, and some sort of spice, and something else. His eyes folded into hers now, filled with heat and darkness. He spoke, whispering against her face, Eames clenched her eyes shut, trying to remain calm and steady herself, he wasn't going to give him any fear to feed off of.

The gun dropped to the floor, and he kicked it to the opposite corner of the room, a knife slid into his palm. Bobby's pounding on the door had ceased and Eames knew at any moment the entire swat team would probably enter the room and rescue her, she just had to play it smart, and bide her time. He brought the knife up to her cheek.

"You think I'm a freak too?" he asked semi-grinding his teeth, "Hm, what is it? Is it these..." he turned his head showing on cheek, then the other, "Huh, is it these...my scars?"

He said nothing else for a moment and Eames took this as an opportunity to respond and get control in the situation.

"I think they make you look handsome." She said, forcing a small smile to look genuine. He was taken aback. He shifted his weight and grunted something under his breath.

"You want to know how I got them?" he asked sneering, pressing the knife harder against her cheek with a smile.

"Not particularly, it doesn't really matter." Eames answered quickly, her eyes shooting through the door, wondering when someone was going to come help her. How could he be getting away with this at the police station?

Joker pulled Eames up by the chin, squeezing her face hard, sliding the knife in between her lips.

Goren stopped banging on the door, when Deakins showed him the party favor that had just arrived addressed to Detective Robert Goren. It was a noise maker, and when blown into, it unfolded, making a high-pitched sound, written inside was a note, "The station is rigged with explosives, the door is the detonator." The message was written in messy cryptic handwriting, and since it hadn't specified which door was the detonator the entire station was pretty much on freeze. Deakins had to explain to Bobby that in trying to save one life they could kill everyone in the building. It just wasn't a trade-off everyone was willing to make. Goren felt helpless.

"Why so serious?" his voice was a growl.

Eames knew something was brewing inside him, she spoke before he could slice her face open.


	3. Chapter 3

"You seem to be the serious one right now."

The high stress of the situation had forced Eames into an almost meditative calm. She had to keep it together, hopefully with her face in tact. Joker searched her eyes and she met his, seeing something in him, she wasn't expecting. Hesitation. Maybe he didn't want to hurt her. She used it to her advantage, slipping her fingers into her mouth, along the blade and pushing the knife out through her lips. It was brave. He didn't stop her motion, watching intently as she manually removed his weapon from her body, feeling relief course through her.

He stood across from her, just a few steps away, neither one of them moving, nearly 50 people watching from the other side of the glass for Joker to make his next move. He scratched his head awkwardly because of his cuffs and thought. Could he just let her get away? He sat down on the floor in an odd cross-legged position and began fumbling with his socks, reaching for something in his shoe. Eames saw another opportunity.

"Let me help you."

"No, stay back." he shouted from the floor...looking back up at her for a moment as if referring to her offer of assistance."Actually, get out of here...bring me old whats-his-face....Bobby." He smiled wide, looking up at her from the floor like a child. Then pausing, his face stern, his voice bellowed "Go get him!!!"

Eames was hesitant to turn her back on him, but even more hesitant not to follow his directions. When she turned the door handle, she felt a huge heat and a pressure push her on the back of her head, then everything went dark.

She awoke to white walls and a small television. She could see Bobby in her peripheral, curled up in a chair entirely too small for him, next to her bedside. Hospital. She exhaled hard, semi-frustrated and noticed Goren stir in his chair. He was awake in moments.

"Hey" he said softly, his face sweet and warm.

"Hey" Eames answered back.

"How are you feeling?" Bobby asked, his eyes more comforting than concerned.

"What happened?"

"Joker had a detonator in his sock, he had a bunch of pre-positioned, artfully concealed explosives, he used them, not to hurt people, but as a distraction to escape. He was gone before the ambulance arrived...." Bobby's voice was softer, "..you got a concussion, but they said you should be fine, you have only been here a night."

He chewed on his lip as if he had something else to add. Eames snapped her neck as if she wasn't injured in the hospital, eyes demanding he spill it. Goren added, "and Deakins wants to give you some time off...just to get it together, you know." He touched her hand gently.

Eames didn't know if she should be angry or relieved. She huffed back down against her hospital bed and shut her eyes just as she felt them beginning to sting with tears.

Bobby craned his neck sweetly, changing the subject, "Do you need anything?"

Eames hated asking for things or having someone take care of her like a child so at first she shrugged, then catching a chill admitted, "I could use some more blankets."

"Ok. I'll be right back." He smiled at her seeming pleased, she finally requested his assistance for something.

A few moments after Bobby exited the hospital room, Deakins swooped around the corner into her room.

"How are you feeling detective?"

Eames shifted in her hospital bed, feeling no obvious pain besides a throbbing headache and extra soreness in her ribs. "Not so bad." she managed. She figured Deakins was here to discuss her "time-off" something she realized after all these years as a cop, that if you didn't request "time-off" and they are just giving it to you, its usually not a good sign for one reason or another.

"Joker escaped last night. We have no idea where he is or what he is planning. We want to drive him above ground before he has the opportunity to hurt himself or others..." Deakins folded and unfolded his arms, "You have a repore with him....We want to send you in."

"What?! He _knows_ I'm a cop." Eames was in disbelief.

"We know that, that's why we are going to put you on suspension, everything has to look official and legit, after its all settled, we can fix the records back to show you were working undercover...but for now, we are going to discharge you and send you to psych ward for a few weeks evaluation. It will make things more we can set up places to rendezvous, and ways to make sure you can keep us informed....but Eames, if you catch this guy.....you're setting yourself up nicely for captain in a few years time. This is just the big break you need to get you from under Bobby's shadow." Deakins lowered his head shyly. "So what do you say?"

Eames knew she could handle undercover work, she had done it before, pretending to be a hooker for months at a time, in the New York cold, with six inch heels, a miniskirt and a fur two sizes too small.

Eames exhaled. "Okay." She didn't know why she was agreeing, in one part, she was ready for her career to move to the next level and being attached to Bobby had definitely slowed some things for her, and another part wanted to catch this madman.

'Okay." Deakins said, "Nobody can know about this, we are going to transfer you to the psych ward tonight...you need to-have some sort of episode...just make it believable, I mean, I know I don't have to tell you, detective, you know how it works. So, we will be in touch with you and starting tonight, you will have constant back-up, we have some plain clothes that will trail you nearly every second of the day"

Deakins and Eames looked at each other and Eames gave him that reassuring look of hers, that made you feel like this itty bitty woman is just fine taking on the whole world if need be.

Goren swooped back into the room with a pile of blankets just after Deakins left, missing him by a few minutes. He smiled at Eames as he wrapped her in blankets with his long strong arms.

"Don't worry about a thing." Bobby said, looking up at her now, from his chair at her bedside. His brown eyes were warm and comforting, glinting with something else behind them.

"I won't." Eames smiled and closed her eyes, letting sleep claim her as her head lolled back.

When she awoke she knew it was late, Bobby still hadn't left, curled up even more awkwardly in the bedside chair. She didn't want to alarm him with her episode, so she got up as quietly as she could, wandering the halls of the hospital, hearing Goren's soft snoring as she left the room. Warmth in her heart at seeing him sleep so peacefully, she knew they both relished these opportunities to watch eachother when the other wasn't looking, it was rare they could look at each other without burying their feelings behind the walls of professionalism.

It wasn't long before a nurse noticed Eames, walking gingerly down the hall, looking lost in her eyes, saying things that didn't make sense. She was transferred to the psych ward in less than an hour, she didn't tell Bobby goodbye.


	4. Chapter 4

Joker strolled up to the nurses station holding a small bouquet he stole from the gift store on his way in. Stuck in the bouquet was a bright silver balloon that said "Feel Better". Joked licked his hand, and slicked his hair back. His dark purple suit hanging on his frame.

"I'm looking for Alexandra Eames." He leaned over the desk, into the nurse's personal space.

The heavy-set nurse looked up startled by the sight before her, but trying to hide it. His makeup was smudged and fading, his teeth covered with the same red color swiped across his lips and cheek. He gave her a big red smile.

"I- I'm sorry, sir. Visiting hours are over....I can't disclose any patient information. You can leave the flowers at the desk if you like." She swallowed hard, speaking quickly.

Joker's eyes flashed to his left, and saw Detective Goren, curled up sleep in a chair next to an empty bed. He knew he'd have to leave soon.

"Where did they take her?" he growled lowly, trying not to cause a disturbance.

"I don't know. I- I can't say." The young woman stammered. Nervous.

Joker had been in enough hospitals AND mental institutions to know when you were transferred the information was never disclosed. He licked his lips hard and smiled. Dropping the floral arrangement on the nurses desk, walking away.

"Give those to Detective Robert Goren." He called over his shoulder on the way out.

Eames didn't feel comfortable in the mental institution. She knew not everyone who was admitted was necessarily crazy, but the place made her uncomfortable none the less. She looked around the drab, white-washed environment, realizing if you weren't crazy when you got there, maybe they could make you that way by the time you left. The sterile room was suffocating. She was apprehensive about sleeping, but realized she would be here a few weeks and if she didn't start to get at least some what comfortable, this was going to be more difficult than need be.

It seemed like one moment she was in her thoughts and then the next she was sleep, only to awake again confronted in the dark with her new reality. She wondered what Bobby was doing, was he okay, was he panicked, they could at least explain to him she had been transferred. She bit her lip, knowing he was worried. The feeling ate at her stomach. She tossed and turned all night.

The next morning they gave her a schedule, when to eat, when to exercise, when to watch television. She felt like she was in prison and it was only day one. They told her, she would have special session with Dr. Huang on Tuesdays and Thursdays as well as a regular check-up each night. Eames tongued the medication they gave her, not believing it was necessary, and settled into a chair in the recreation room of the facility, staring at the wall, her mind a million different places. She thought of Bobby, her career, her sister and the baby, her father, then....the Joker. She wondered how he had escaped, how long had he planned the entire event beforehand. How he had somehow split her and Bobby up, something no criminal could do unless it was a part of Goren's scheme to extract a confession. They were always in control. This time she realized, Joker pulled divide and conquer...he controlled the entire situation from the very beginning. His laugh crawled under her skin, humming in her ears. She shook the thoughts away.

Eames lay in her uncomfortable white bed, in her uncomfortable white room, thankful for the sleeping pills but now hesitant to take them. Something in her stomach was tight. She tossed in her bed, pulling her pillow close, imagining it was Bobby's chest and he was stroking her hair. She allowed herself these little fantasies, when alone in her bed at night, feeling safe no one would ever know, sometimes she talked to him, sometimes they made love in her mind, she closed her eyes and pulled her pillow closer, rubbing her thighs together. She felt like maybe she could fall asleep.

She awoke with a scream, muffled by the hand over her mouth. Her eyes suddenly wide, she was face to face with Joker.

"Shh, shhh..it's okay, it-s-okay." He whispered against his hand over her mouth, "Look, look, I just came to..." His eyes scanned her face horizontally and then something in him changed, "...apologize."

He pulled his hand from her mouth and before a scream could let out again, he seized her by her throat, growling in her ear, covering her mouth again.

"This isn't very nice of you. I'm coming to apologize and -" His body pressed firmly against hers, she smelled that smell of his again...maybe it was gunpowder, "you're making things very difficult. I thought you were fun, doll, what happened to all the jokes?"

Eames collected herself within, realizing she was now on assignment and her goal was to get closer to him, she stopped struggling, racking her brain quickly for how to respond. He likes me, she thought. How would a guy who liked a girl want that girl to act? She couldn't hold back, he was an extremist, she had to match his intensity but still seem genuine. She immediately began a girlish giggle, writhing her body more sensuously against him, letting the light laughter flush her cheeks.

"How romantic...you've come to rescue me!" She turned and flung her arms around him now in a warm, pressing hug, asserting to herself mentally she didn't..couldn't.. fear him, and besides, he had two clear opportunities to kill her, and hasn't. They put her in a psych ward to free up the angles that she could approach Joker, now her mental stability was questionable, she could come out of the box a bit more, giving her a better chance to connect with him. Eames used her instincts and played to what seemed to be her best angle....he was attracted to her, she could use that.

He seemed taken off guard, but entertained and Eames was even surprised by her own acting skills. She rubbed her palms along the back of his suit and continued her giggles. He breathed in her ear, they seemed to be having a moment, his breathing quickened, his face softened underneath his make-up, Eames felt her own heart rate quicken, stomach fluttering, 'Exactly..." licking his lips, "Let's get out of here, doll."

Eames continued her charade, grabbing his hand and looking up at him like a love-struck teen, trying to hide that most of her still thought he looked like a monster. He shook her hand away, throwing her wrist back against her body. His voice deepened and rumbled.

"Don't do that."

He was serious. She could feel all the energy in the room change. She had almost let herself forget the man was insane and dangerous. Eames looked at him meekly and whispered, "I'm sorry."

He shrugged, fumbled in his suit pocket, she heard a click and then she heard bombs going off at the end of the corridor.

"That's our cue" he stated and then pushed her ahead of him, barking at her, "Move it. Let's go."

He pushed her down the hallway, limp hair and wearing an over-sized hospital gown, and out a side-door into the back of a van. Everything happened so fast, by the time Eames settled her nerves in the back of the van they were crossing a bridge. She could feel Joker's eyes on her, burning her, in the dark shaking van.

"Wasn't that fun?...." he smiled and then leaned forward, his face nearer to hers, "you know how many nut jobs are going to escape tonight? All your little uptown socialites and cop buddies are going to be soooo uptight." He began a wild cackle, shaking his head violently from side to side.

Eames made a note of how many times he used different vocal tones and demeanors, even over the course of talking about one subject. He was constantly changing. He seemed to be thirty different men, or more like one man who has thirty men inside him to do his evil bidding, and he brings them out as he sees fit.

"What's the matter, doll?"

"Where are you taking me?"

Joker looked at her in disbelief. "To kill you. I'm going to chop you up in little pieces and feed you to my hyenas....grind all your flesh up in--"

Eames cut him off, feeling her skin crawl, she threw herself at him, burrowing her face into his shoulder. She could smell him even better now, was it musk? "You shouldn't talk to me this way in public..." making her voice sound as seductive as possible, suggesting arousal at his words, while hiding her facial expression in the fabric of his suit. She felt his body go rigid, hard as stone, underneath her touch. His jaws clenched tight and he grabbed Alex by the back of the neck and flung her small body across the van.

The pain rang through her back, she coughed trying to catch the wind that had been knocked out of her. The van came to a stop and the doors in the back opened. The Joker exited, leaving Eames ringing body laid in the back of the van. She heard growling, sitting up to check the source, when she saw them. Two enormous hyenas chained to a fence. She looked around, realizing she was in his home. Eames took a deep breath, trying to push the sound of the hyenas snarling to the back of her mind.

Goren stared at Deakins in disbelief.

"How could they just remove her? Now no one can see her? How long is she going to be in there?!?!?!"

He was beyond frustrated. He felt like he could break walls down with his anger. But again, there was nothing he could do. His heart hammered in his chest. He knew nothing was wrong with Eames mentally, she was wrapped tight. Something was going on. Goren punched the wall in frustration, sending thundering sounds through the squad room. They were trying to say Eames interactions with Joker had caused her a psychotic break of some sort and she was being evaluated and couldn't meet with anyone until they had a better understanding of what was going on with her. Bobby fought the lumps in his throat, clenching and un-clenching his fists, his entire body wound.

What was he supposed to do now?


	5. Chapter 5

Eames hesitantly crawled out of the van, realizing no one was going to come and pull her out and she had been laying there catching her breath for quite some time. She heard the Joker's laugh in the distance, the hyenas stirred at the new activity. Eames held her breath when she passed them. Easing around a corner that opened up to a huge room, in disarray, weapons were strewn everywhere, dried blood streaked the floor, money was piled messily in the far corner of the room. Joker and a group of other men, were sitting at a large round table, cards in hand. He looked up when he saw her approach.

"Oh, Doll!" he seemed genuinely pleased to see her, "Did you enjoy your rest?"

Eames evaluated how his mood had changed again, earlier he was going to feed her to the hyenas, but now he received her like she was a lover he hadn't seen in quiet some time. Because of these changes, she wanted to believe his threats were empty, but her gut told her different. Those black eyes didn't lie.

"I did." She smiled sweetly, keeping her head down.

She could feel the men at the table looking at her, watching her closely, she put on a serene facade to make herself hard to read. She kept her attention focused on Joker at all times. Nearly zoning out the curious gazes of the other men, who did not acknowledge her with their mouths, but she could feel every set of eyes.

"Well, this game is _boring_" he threw his cards on the table, "let me help you get settled." He smiled wide, eyes glinting at her. His hands seemed to motion a dance in the air. He was suddenly very vibrant.

Eames found herself becoming more easy around him. He was expressing the more genteel side of his personality. He was almost overly chivalrous in his mannerisms.

She followed him, into a small darkened room, he closed the door behind them. Turning and leaning his back against it. Eames looked to the small mattress on the floor, covered with rumbled blankets. The room was nearly black and littered with beer bottles and various unexpected items. A stuffed animal. A bag of dog food. Paintbrush.

Eames looked around the room reverently. "I love it."

Joker coughed awkwardly, catching Eames attention. He licked his lips hard, he seemed to draw all the light in the room towards him, his voice different again, but this time something she wasn't expecting at all. Gone was the comical exaggerated cliche tones, the intimidating psychotic bellowing and barking. He sounded...normal. Eames realized she was holding her breath.

"Look. You can't fool me. I know you're scared. I can smell it."

Eames folded her arms playfully, "I am not!" she said indignantly and childlike, "I think you just want me to be." She smirked.

"No. no." he started grinding his teeth again, voice coming back to his usual bizarre tremor. "You are. I can smell it. It smells like candy and chaos..and little.... But. The point is-you know- I heard you're little cop buddies turned their back on you, sent you to the psych ward...because of me...and well, that's why I came to get you, I felt guilty, I said to myself- 'self? why would you turn that pretty little doll's life all upside down?...said you had a 'break'...you know, you lost it...went nutty.'"

Eames felt him becoming very serious. His jovial nature lost. His body appeared rigid. He spoke as if he was holding his breath. Eames continued to read his body language he was tense...uncomfortable. He looked up at her, looking less like a demented panda, his eyes shining harder through the make-up, she felt like for a moment, she could see the man underneath.

"I've never let anyone go before."

Eames didn't know how to react to this. Was it a test? Was he just having a mood swing? Was he setting her up? She took a step towards him, trying to even her breath, "Thank you." Her eyes sparkled at him.

She trembled within as she reached for his hand. When her fingertips met his leather purple gloves. His body froze again, solid, he yanked his hand away.

"You can thank me later." he sneered, suddenly burning with anger. He left the room swiftly and Eames was left to wonder which one of the Joker's personalities she had just encountered, because he seemed almost...human. She felt a weird feeling in her stomach, like butterflies but harder churning. She looked down realizing she was still wearing her hospital gown. Almost as if he could read her mind, Joker hit her in the face with a pile of clothes, he threw at her from just outside the door.

"Freshen up, doll."

Eames heard him call through the walls. She grabbed the fabric he had given her and stilled herself. It all hit her at once, the image of his face when he said it, the sound of his voice, _I never let anyone go before_...that indescribable smell.....She sucked in air all at once. Immediately breaking her thoughts. She knew he was manipulative, was he trying to make her feel dependent on him? Why would he trust to bring her here? Was he ultimately planning to kill her?...Then, what was all of that just about?

Eames couldn't process it all. First, things first, change clothes.

Goren turned in his sleep. Alex hadn't been gone more than two days and it already felt like eternity without her. He knew this tightness in his chest. He spent most of his life accustomed to it. He inhaled hard, into his pillow, imagining the faint shampoo aroma that wafted off of her and lingered almost every morning they worked together. It usually faded by ten, and Bobby always found himself reminiscing on the scent throughout the day.

He wondered how she was doing? Had she really lost it? His gut didn't trust it. Joker wasn't that powerful and Alex was guarded, she wouldn't let him affect her. Goren imagined going her coming home from the institution, him picking her up, the look in her eyes grateful, then filling with love. Bobby groaned into his sheets, feeling himself twitch in his boxers. Sometimes he felt guilt at his attraction to her, but after so many years, it had buried so deep within him, it was now a part of him. Naturally, his fantasies, involved Alex, and he would allow it until things got nasty, then he would intentionally replace Eames with another fantasy woman, and finish off. Tonight. He missed her. It weighed on his chest.

Bobby began stroking himself gently, savoring the fantasy. Eames rocking her small soft body against him. Running her slick tightness up and down his shaft with powerful strokes. He gripped harder, sliding the skin forcefully up and down his cock. He rarely made noise when he was alone. He pumped his length with vigor, imagining her moaning his name, raking her nails across his back, both of them in heat. She tightened around him, his grip now almost painful, and threw her head back, as he crashed over the edge, shooting streams into his underwear, muscles relaxing into the sheets.

Bobby wasn't sure he believed in God, but he drifted to sleep, exhausted by his orgasm, with a prayer for Eames safety on his lips.

Eames examined the outfit, Joker had given her. It was a black catsuit with a cut-out to reveal her skin, of a spade on one thigh, a club near her rib just under her breast and a heart on the shoulder. She briefly wondered where the cutout for the diamond would be, when she felt him behind her. She didn't speak. His voice was even and somewhat unreadable, instead of his usual exaggerated tones.

"I thought I told you to get dressed."

Eames turned around, facing him, making her voice sweet. "I'm sorry, I just got distracted-"

"I don't care." He cut her off, his voice cold, his eyes hot.

He walked up to her until they were face to face, his body millimeters from hers, for the first time she could see into his eyes, the distracting effect of the make-up less obvious when he was closer. She saw the taut skin of scars, closer than ever. They looked painful. She tried to read him. She couldn't. But she could tell he was reading her. She felt him suddenly pull at the fabric of her hospital gown, gathering a fistful of fabric by her waist. He grunted lowly and spun her around, pulling at the string behind her neck. The gown was off in an instant.

Eames felt her body go numb with shock as she felt her nude body exposed to the open room. Her mind flashed to the back up police officers and how the Joker had abducted her so quickly, she wasn't even sure about how she would go about making contact with the outside world. She braced herself for the worst.

Instead, he walked around her, eyes never looking at the front of her naked body. Picking up the catsuit. He tossed it to her, eyes on the floor. He spun around quickly, so his back was to her, as if he didn't want to watch her change.

"Put it on." she heard him say.

She was a trembling mess on the inside, but she knew she had to fight these feelings. He would kill her for them. He didn't respect that kind of weakness. She stepped into the suit and reached behind to slide the zipper up. He turned around, now she was covered.

"Don't" Eames obeyed, standing almost completely still.

He stepped behind her again. She caught his scent again, was it leather? She felt his gloved touch on her spine. Was he trembling? He pulled the zipper gently. His touch was sensuous. Eames stomach was swimming. She felt sick. Goosebumps slid across her scalp. Heat touched her cheeks. He slid it up her back, tortuously slow, breathing heavily behind her. She could feel him emanating....something she never felt before. His hands were definitely shaking. When the zipper reached the nape of her neck and the end of it's journey, he was breathing audibly behind her, his other hand gently on her hip.

Joker let out a choked cough and then to suddenly turn angry. His touch on the back of her neck turned rough.

"Hm. You like to play games?"

Eames said nothing, not sure if it was smarter to say yes or no.

"I'm sorry. I can't hear you." He yanked her neck, turning her so her face was close to the side of his. He was so much stronger than she was expecting. His grip was tight. She could see his jaw muscles clench. Eames could feel his rage. She broke, letting out a small whimper of fear. He went over the edge. Throwing her onto the mattress, pounding her body with punches. His fists felt like bricks. Eames heard herself coughing, she wanted to scream, but even more she wanted to endure the beating, she tried to push back her fear. It was when his blows began to meet her face that she knew she had to do something drastic to stop him before he beat her to death.

She began a low moan. Willing her hands up to massage her own breasts. She writhed as he continued his assault on her body, pain ringing through her, her body droning dully. She let out the words.

"Yes. More. Mmm." Timing her responses to his blows. Almost instantly he stopped. Paralyzed. She opened her burning eyes to look at him. The look in his eye was indescribable. He placed his leather sheathed fingertips over her bloody lips. Touching her very gently. He patted her cheek twice and left Eames in pain on the mattress, leaving the room, nearly silently.


	6. Chapter 6

Bobby looked Deakins square in the eye.

"What's going on?" he spent all morning realizing that something wasn't right for sure. Eames having a breakdown. Never. And the fact that pretty much everyone at Major Case had been mum about the circumstances and when to reach her, Goren knew things weren't lining up. Deakin's leveled with him.

"Look" Deakins lowered his head, "I don't want to compromise Eames."

"Compromise her?" Bobby raised his voice, nearly yelling. "What? Is she on special assignment... undercover?"

Deakins eyes hit the floor. A tell. Bobby felt his insides boiling.

"What's going on!?!?"

"Bobby....we're giving Detective Eames a chance to get closer to Joker. Make some sense of what's going on with him. We think the only way to make any progress or even attempt to bring him to justice, is to get as much information as possible. She is safe. We have made contact with her, since he picked her up from the institution. She is playing it solidly...he hasn't hurt her."

Goren bit his lip unsure of what to say.

"He could kill her at any moment. He-" his hand met his lips. "he has no regard for human life. The man....is insane. No one is ever going to be able to hold him accountable for his crimes." Bobby felt himself hit with cold shudders. "I can't believe you would do this to her...."

For three months they had been months in his life, without her, constantly worried about her, desperate for updates, feeling slight relief every time he was notified they made contact with her, and she was safe. Worried at the news she was growing closer to this man. Word was she was closer to him, than anyone. Eames and this criminal....close. He knew how stressful, undercover work was, especially once in deep, constantly looking over your shoulder, the constant mental notes, the non-stop acting.

Since, that night he fell asleep next to Eames hospital bed, Goren had all but lost all sight of his former self. He was consumed with the Joker, his habits, his pathology. Once he found out Eames had been abducted, Bobby immediately delved into researching Joker, he was going to crawl into his mind, understand him....understand what Eames must be dealing with.

He longed for her like never before. Deep in his chest every night. Feeling constant tears in his eyes that would never break. Joker was tormenting him. He saw the sinister crook's face in his mind at night. Heard his devilish cackle whenever his thoughts began to wander.

He read the reports from doctors who had examined him, police reports, legal documents. The man was genius, but unpredictable. Bobby studied the chemical make-up of Joker Venom, a poison Joker invented himself that can be administered in a variety of fashions. The photographs of the Joker's alleged murder weapons, was....comical. Guns that shot flags that read BANG!, then shot arrows laced with Joker Venom. Home-made hand buzzers, with enough voltage to electrocute. Playing cards with hidden razor blades.

Joker's origins were unknown. He had no record of family. No paper trail. Every psychologist documented different versions of his childhood. Clearly he was lying. All of the information compiled on the criminal seemed to equal nothing. Photographs of those injured and maimed by his dynamite contraptions filled Bobby's mind. Eames. His heart broke every time he even thought of her, he tried to focus, he could fix this. Something needed to click. He strained himself mentally over the facts of Joker's life. Feeling on the edge.

Over the past months, Eames had gotten closer and closer to this strange man. He was never the same twice. She cooked his meals, when he decided to eat, which was rarely, but when he did, he ate like a horse. She fed the hyenas, she cleaned up after his "experiments", usually scrubbing animal blood from the floors, she cleaned his weapons. She slept on the floor in his room. At first she couldn't sleep at all and she would watch him out of her peripheral, making notes of his habits. He was a light-sleeper, usually catching no more than three hours, always lying completely still. Eventually, after enough nights of this, she felt asleep without realizing, waking up in the morning, alone and unharmed on the floor.

They spent time together. Joker showed a genuine interest in increasing Eames knowledge, he showed her how to build bombs and concoct various poisons out of careful mixes of common household products. The quickest ways to start fires. And he was a jovial and diligent instructor. Always clear, patient, and understanding.

But, he was also violent. He beat her into unconsciousness on more than one occasion. Threatened to dismember her. Sometimes he would punch her in the stomach, or choke her, for seemingly no reason. She never knew what could set him off. Sometimes he could be appeased with a clever joke. Sometimes opening her mouth was the kiss of death. But over the past several weeks, Eames was better able to read him, and he hadn't hit her in days.

She went with him, when he broke into 200 ATM machines in one night, replacing the funds with monopoly money and taking the real money and throwing it over the Brooklyn bridge, cackling like a madman. As she watched hundreds of thousands of dollars floated in the filthy water, she realized these things made him feel alive. He seemed to have a genuine response to these activities, laughing sometimes to the point of ecstasy. He was mesmerizing. His green hair, falling carelessly around his face. She never knew when he applied his make-up, because he always looked dirty and creased, sometimes late at night, he would talk to her and she would listen. He would go on sometimes for close to an hour without a break. Rambling about people and nature, and right and wrong. He was a philosopher. She realized. He was an anarchist. But she was struck by his incredible intelligence, and his...depth. She absorbed his words.

Sometimes he complimented her. Calling her names like "pretty little thing" or "precious". Eames knew she was gaining his trust when he asked her to sleep on the bed instead of the floor. Yet, he never touched her in a sexual way.... but he did do things to her, that seemed to give him release. Once, Eames swore to herself he came in his pants, when he was kicking her in the ribs on morning, for burning the eggs and creating an unpleasant smell, that he said "smells like day-old intestines." She found humor in his exaggeration. And even more when he tried to hide the wet spots on his crotch.

She never saw him without his make-up and he slept in his clothes, always remaining fully dressed. He wore, gloves so even his hands were covered, almost everything about him was concealed. Hidden.

Sometimes Joker and Eames talked about Bobby. She didn't know how he had gotten her to open up to him about the situation, but she found herself talking to him one night. Late. When he lay on top of the covers and she curled up in a ball on the floor at the foot of his bed. He could be an avid listener when he wanted. She explained how she had Bobby just...fit. It wasn't expected but they did. Everything about them was natural...nothing forced. She felt shy after telling him, but he didn't appear jealous or angry. He told her Bobby didn't know what he had in her. That she was a doll fit for any man.

Bobby reviewed the files on Joker for the millionth time, looking for something out of place. Then a fact that once seemed unimportant stood out. Joker had no record of any type of romantic relationship, no girlfriends, none, never. Goren pieced that maybe he was getting so close to Eames for this purpose. The thought made him sick to his stomach. His pulse tightened. He imagined Joker's cold hands on her body, feeling tense. He shook the thoughts away.

Deakins tapped his pen on his desk. The last time he made contact with Eames...she sounded...different. She claimed to have very little information on any illegal activities the Joker was involved in. Including the 200 ATMs filled with monopoly money. When Eames she said no idea what Deakin's was talking about and she hadn't even been watching the news, he knew. She was suffering from Stockholm's Syndrome. Joker had broken her. She was protecting him. They had to get her out...alive.

Eames lay in the bed next to him, his purple suit shirt and green vest rumbled around his body. His impressive arms folded over his chest, drooping lazily in his rest. She knew he was sleep, when his mouth fell open. Eames got up slowly, taking a closer look at his scars. His make-up was fading and she could see the poorly healed skin more clearly than ever before. Her heart started thumping. He startled her.

"What are you doing??" his voiced seemed to echo through the tiny room. Her insides shrank. She should have known better, she knew he was a light sleeper.

"Looking at you." Eames said plainly, her voice soft, eyes softer.

He seemed to tense, crooking his neck hard and then back, he reminded her of Bobby for a moment. He licked his twisted lips.

"Why?" his voiced sounded a way she had never heard. It froze her in her tracks.

She didn't answer him. Instead she leaned in slowly, letting her breath brush against his face, and kissed the scar on the side of his mouth. Gently. Sweetly. Her insides swam, she didn't know why she was doing this. This man was a dangerous criminal. But something about the look in his eyes warmed her heart. His face was intense, and she could feel him rumbling, under his rock hard flesh. He wanted this.

She reflected on her and Bobby's research of Joker prior to the interrogation that changed her life forever. She knew he had never had any romantic relationships, but it was always assumed he was promiscuous, yet, something about the desperation he tried to hide in his eyes when he looked at her, told her different. He just needed love. Maybe he was a little sick. But more than anything he was just misunderstood.

Alex felt like her body went on auto-pilot when she reached for his hand, and slowly pulled off his glove, one finger at a time, staring him down sensuously, his paint smeared face looking at her frozen. His hand was warmer than she was expecting, but calloused and rough. She cupped his hand over her breast, and felt a tremor shoot through him. He tried to snatch his hand away, but she held him to her breast. Her heart pumping overtime. His spat at her in a snarl.

"Don't act like you want me."

She didn't know what to say, because that was exactly what she was acting like. She didn't know what had come over her. She rationalized she was advancing this way to gain his trust, but something else inside of her, said it was something greater. She leaned in and kissed his scar again, letting her lips trail to his. His lips were softer than she was expecting, and he seemed startled by her kiss.

"Let me see you without your make-up." Her voice filled with heat. His eyes glinted at hers.


	7. Chapter 7

Eames lay in the bed suddenly questioning herself. Her stomach felt it had cut out and ran away. She could barely breathe. She heard him, coming back, her heart jumped. He stopped. She held her breath.

"Turn out the lights."

She heard him say it from around the corner, but they way his voice echoed, he could have been speaking from every corner of the room. She did. And then it was totally dark. So black, she couldn't see her hands in front of her. Joker eased into the bed next to her, gently nuzzling his nose against her chin, taking in her scent raggedly. They couldn't see each other in the darkness, but she felt his hand find her waist, his touch more delicate than she was expecting. She inhaled him, hesitant at first and then fully as his body came closer to hers. He applied even pressure to her body with his own, keeping his breathing and pace even. It was as if he could see in the dark, though she couldn't. He saw her small face, thin lips and dark golden hair through the veil of black that surrounded them. He heard how her breathing changed, every time he eased closer to her.

Joker savored the nuances of human emotion, though most people thought he had no regard for it. He watched her intently, trying to decide if she was genuine, pressing the reality that no one had ever been in the same room with him without his makeup on into the back of his mind. He kept his eyes on her, still not moving. Sexual need passing between them slowly. It made his muscles tight.

Eames moved and then writhed against him, suddenly feeling frustrated at his restraint, and displeased with the complete darkness. He pushed his heavy breathing down. She breathed into Joker's damp, stringy hair, "I want to see you."

Her soft voice was tinged with want. He heard it. It felt real. Joker's hard angular body moved, without thinking, he was on top of her, grinding roughly against her, his nails digging into the back of her neck. His movements were harsh and controlled but behind his grinding hips lay an animal hunger. He pushed the edges of his control. Joker felt himself tensing up now aware knew she must feel how hard she had gotten him. Thoughts of her lips on his scars, her lying unconscious on the floor, her whimpers during the last beating, all made him twitch, blood surging between his thighs. He breathed her in. He knew she couldn't be trusted. But for a moment....he believed she really wanted him.

His arousal broke through to the next level, when she pulled away, and he felt a fleeting instant of unexplainable panic, she slipped over to the corner of the room and shuffled among some items there, before he could ask her what she was doing, or hit her, the room was illuminated.

Eames had made a lantern one day, when Joker was away long hours meeting with Japanese business men about bombing the rail system in Tokyo, and left her handcuffed to the door while he was gone, leaving her with a soft kiss on the cheek as the cuffs locked. She used an empty beer bottle and a melted down candle. The effect was a dark golden glow, over everything in the room. She held the bottle up for Joker to see, and smiled at him, trying to reassure him, but the sight of his face took her breath away.

He was handsome, more so than she was expecting...so handsome, she could see why he would become so angry that his face was deformed. He lowered his eyes to the floor, as if the motion would hide his face from the light. She took a slow step towards him. Joker kept his head turned away from her. She took another step towards him. He felt her presence, burning him. He admitted to himself he was impressed she innovated her own light source and was able to implement it to achieve her desires so quickly. The thought that he may be rubbing off on her...molding her...turned him on. Joker's thoughts began to race as she approached, he felt like he was being swallowed, like this was happening in slow motion. Eames took another step closer and his time his head snapped at her.

"You like what you see, doll?" His voice was an evil snarl but Eames was not going to be put off, she knew he was nervous, he was trying to hide it. He licked his lips roughly, feigning anger.

She didn't answer, but instead brought her lips to his rippled cheeks again, leaving the lightest kiss on his face. His hands snapped to her waist nearly automatically and now they looked in each other's eyes. Locked. Eames let her lips brush his lightly, whimpering soft satisfaction against him. She had never felt this way with a man, never smelled anyone quite like him. She knew she had changed, but she was happy about it. Joker was so wise and free. She tasted his lips...and he was indescribable, strange and pungent, but desirable.

She looked into his dark eyes with gratitude. Then he flinched and they rushed each other in a kiss filled with mutual passion. Eames kissed this man, like he had saved her life, she was so thankful to him for delivering her from the mundane falsehoods of the what had now become the outside world. He kissed her full of hidden desperation, his lips consuming and devouring, behind the moderate pressure he would allow himself to apply to her lips. He burned just under the surface.

The taste of her in his mouth made his erection rage, his pants becoming the source of discomfort. The taste of him in her mouth, made her legs and the soft surfaces of her privates tingle with anticipation. Joker filled Eames mouth with heat from his own, releasing a nearly silent groan into her lips. He pulled her hard into his chest, and she noticed for the first time, of all the times she had been so close to him, his heart was pumping. She kissed him more deeply, encouraging him with her lips.

Eames wanted to undress him, but was afraid how he would react, he seemed attached to his clothing, secure underneath his multiple piece suit. She tested the waters, running her fingers inside his jacket, pushing gently around the arms, hinting. She felt him shudder. Joker took the hint, thankful for the opportunity to slow down, before he released in his pants without either of them undressing. He pulled off his clothing, stripped down to silky comic style boxers, with huge captions that read "bang" or "pow" and "kaboom" Eames smiled to herself. Joker never felt shy, but he could admit he was experiencing some emotions he hadn't before, which was novel.

Eames looked him up and down in the amber light, without all of his make-up and costume, he seemed so much more... normal, more real. She felt like he transformed, from a criminal...a madman..a villain. Into just...a man, who needed love, who was misunderstood. When Joker stood before her, Eames could have swore she saw him blush, just for a moment, but wouldn't allow herself to believe it. She looked at his chest, sculpted and tight, but covered with scars, some that looked like burns, the rest were mostly stab wounds. Eames detective side always made it easy to identify injuries. His eyes lasered over her body, as she undressed for him, quickly nude outside of the one piece outfit he provided for her when she first arrived. She held her breath, ready for the crash.

They were trembling now, as Joker ran his lips ran coarsely over hers, grunting as he throbbed against her thigh. Eames pulled her hands roughly through his hair, whimpering against the side of his face, feeling his body undulate over hers, his hardness blazing into her thigh. She knew for a fact, she had never felt a man so aroused, and he confirmed it for her, when she felt his underwear becoming soaked against her leg, while it seemed his erection impossibly doubled. She heard him grunting, he could barely breathe. Eames had never seen or felt a man fend off penetration this long. He seemed to enjoy depriving himself, teasing himself.

Joker's control broke a little, when he felt Eames begin to drag her nails lightly across his back. He snatched himself from his boxers, growling audibly at being free from the constraints of fabric, and began rubbing his head furiously against her inner thigh. Eames was sure the way she felt his muscles tighten, he was going to come. Joker lowered his head to hide the fact that his eyes were rolling back, and he masturbated furiously between her legs, brushing his foreskin rapidly against the smooth skin of her inner thigh, streaking her with pre-cum. He knew he couldn't keep this up much longer, but he didn't want to penetrate her until the time was right.

He brought his lips to hers again and spoke against her mouth.

"Doll?"

"Yes?" Eames looked up at him, her voice barely a breath, and their eyes met again, shed in the glow of the beer bottle lantern, she looked at him like a woman in love, with stars in her eyes, almost speechless. But it took the words out his mouth. Joker took her breast roughly in his hand and pinched her nipples, harshly, twisting and pulling simultaneously, feeling her jolt briefly with pain beneath him. It made him tremor, now he wanted her to scream. He pulled back from her, carrying her scent with him. Straddling her waist, his tall, sturdy frame leering over her. He stroked himself, eying her nude body beneath him, deciding what he wanted. He playfully smacked her breasts and nipples with one hand, while he stroked himself with the other, making up his mind, but finding it especially difficult to think.

Eames insides were rushing as she saw him pull back in the glow. Masturbating to the sight of her, occasionally kneading her breasts, his face tight, cock dripping and slick. She heard him say things under his breath, "Look at that..." and "Perfect", she never felt so desirable.

Then he was upon her, his hands delicately around her throat, trouble in his eyes. His body weight pinning hers to the bed.

"I have to hurt you, I have to hurt you..." He was murmuring under his breath, his voice coarser and more passionate than she had ever heard, but still she didn't like to test him, he could turn on her. He tightened his grip around her neck. Putting his thumbs roughly in her mouth, clenching on the soft skin around her neck, his fingertips trembling. She felt him against her stomach, already sticky, twitching, and still leaking.

Joker growled against her face, his mood changing again. "Why would you want this? What's wrong with you?....You're a crazy bitch. Crazy crazy bitch." He murmured the words, massaging her breasts again, enjoying when her body responded to the sudden sensations created by his hard pinching. Eames hands reached up and touched his scars slowly. It froze him. His hands stopped, his body stopped...his heart...

"Stop." her voice was sweet, "you don't have to act like this." She closed her eyes and let the words come out...slow. "I want you." She let her fingertips trail along his cheeks and lips.

"Why?" he licked his lips. He meant it. He wanted a real answer.

She considered it, and then spoke from her heart. "You set me free."

She felt his muscles relax, something in him had changed. He kissed her cheek lazily and then lined himself up with her body. Taking his wet throbbing dick in his hand, preparing for penetration. She felt him trembling, inches beneath the surface of his skin, barely detectable. She ran her soft hands, across his scarred back. Leaving hot kisses on his salty neck. She breathed into his skin. "What is it? What's wrong?"

He looked down at her, and now she knew for sure. He was blushing. Her mind wanted to know what was going on. Was he a virgin? He seemed to find it hard to believe she would be attracted to him, and it could explain why he was so reluctant to enter her. She half expected him to have ravaged her and left her for dead by now. He looked down into her eyes.

'Tell me you love me....you don't have to say it all the time...just when I put it in." His eyes left hers and she nodded, pulling at his waist to bring him close. Eames heart was full, she couldn't believe what he just asked her to do, he wanted to hear it. He proved he was human, there were emotions behind all that mania and makeup, he needed it too.

He entered her slowly, stretching her painfully, panting against her temple as he felt her warmth envelope him. She let the words come out, shaky and laden with pleasure. "I love yoouu."

He felt her thighs contracting, tense from him being inside her. Heard her voice fill with emotion. He pounced on it. Gripping Eames small thighs hard in his warm calloused hands. Releasing a choking grunt as he bucked his hips into her, penetrating her deeply, rocking his glands hard against her cervix. Joker wanted to crumble, he had spent so many years obtaining sexual satisfaction from other means, that the possibility of actually being intimate with a woman rarely crossed his mind anymore, and the experience was almost more than his senses could bear. He heard her beginning to moan under him, her muscles slack as she becomes more wet. Joker began punishing strokes, deep and forceful. Ripping so hard into her pelvis, Eames could already feel the bruises. She figured he would be a rough lover. His animal instincts finally took over. He was growling, all his skin hot, both of them sweaty, as he continued to rock her. Ramming into her with a force that left her insides raw.

Joker withdrew from her, panting desperately and pulling at her neck, turning her over with his agile touch. Eames was bent over on the edge the bed before she knew it. He entered her again, this time roughly and filled with heat. "Say it." She heard him bellow behind her, his devastating touch, leaving her body trembling beneath him. "I loooove you."

He gasped and his strong hands found her thighs, and his strokes lost their rhythm and control. He whimpered behind her, and then she felt his fist half-punch her in the stomach, she doubled over from the pain and he withdrew from her, harshly pulling apart her legs. He gave himself a few quick strokes, bounced the head of his member across her thighs and ass, and plunged into her again. "Say it."

"I love you." Eames was nearly screaming now. He pulled up a fistful of her hair and began an assault, unlike any she had ever felt. Joker's strokes created a pressure within her she had never experienced. She felt like she was going to burst out of her skin and when he increased his speed, she felt like she was moments from peeing on herself. She heard herself wailing with pleasure.

He snatched himself from her again, leaving her feeling hollow, and let her hear his heavy breathing, he didn't touch himself, and his hands worked on her clit and labia, until he inserted two fingers inside her, and let his touch tear at her soft spot inside. He panted, trying to finger her hard enough that he could make her breasts bounce as he watched over her shoulder from behind. He found the right amount of force and it made him pant. The mix of the pain resulting from his harsher touch and the sensation of her swollen wet folds against his fingers and her breast heaving and quivering, caused him a rush unlike any he had experienced. He fingered her rapidly, causing her hips to crane forward, and clapping sounds to fill the room. He was nearly heaving her entire body around from her vagina. He pulled his fingers out, heat coursing through him and started tapping her between her legs. Giving her light love taps that turned to a full on spanking. She winced from the pain, and moaned from the shocks it sent through her. He groaned powerfully. Joker pushed the side of her face into the mattress. His hands shook as he ran his tip against her labia and then pushed inside with a deep groan.

"Say-"

"I love youuuuuuu. I love you. I love you."

Eames lost her mind, writhing and moaning, while he destroyed her from behind, occasionally smacking her ass, with enough force, to knock her body over. She chanted the words for him, as he built more pressure in her bowels, tearing through her flesh, growling and moaning, at the sensations of their slick skin touching. He pulled her close, pumping, barely able to speak. "I love you. I love you." His words choked. He meant it. She heard it. "I love you. I love you" He sounded so tender, almost apologetic for his actions. He began to wail in her ear, it sent her over the edge. Eames clenched her teeth, grinding her hips back against him, determined not to moan, so she could hear his voice. "I love you, I love you, " The words cascaded from his lips, his voice a whimpering rasp, he was so close to the edge. It made her feel electric. She tightened her muscles from inside and leaned back, allowing him the deepest angle yet, he gasped loudly, and she tried to keep quiet, wanting to hear his pleasure, her body went limp, shuddering, muscles contracting around his rock hard pipe. "I love-love you. I-I love..." She knew he was coming when she felt his hands, grip her throat and his body collapse, convulsing and hot, his words incomprehensible. She felt him spasm and shudder with all his strength and then cover her backside with hot fluid. His body weight pressing into her.

It took a few moments before Eames realized she had a smile on her face, and neither of them was taking any steps to wipe her clean. She heard him move, finally, after he lay there for several minutes like a dead animal. He twitched and then began laughing. It wasn't the laugh he used when things were funny, more when he thought someone was stupid. Eames tensed up. He pulled her hair and smacked her face several times, throwing her off of the bed and onto the floor naked.

"I love you! I love you!" His tone was mocking, "...crazy bitch....crazy crazy bitch." He laughed now and shook his head, getting up and putting on his suit. "You know, I can't sleep with crazy bitches....you might try to hurt me in the middle of the night...and then I'd have to kill you." He chuckled lightly and then licked his lips, his voice very serious. "Sleep on the floor."

Eames felt an emotional pain she never encountered, she felt stupid, and rejected. She hated him. She loved him? Had he been playing her this whole time. She was so fustrated with him. She wanted to scream. But instead she grabbed to blankets off the bed and curled up on the floor.


End file.
